DOMESTIC violence rates are almost 25 per cent higher in Bathurst than the rest of the state, but yesterday the city took a stand to stamp out violence against women.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
White Ribbon Day was held across Australia yesterday, but it also marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism To Stop Violence Against Women in Bathurst.
The event runs until December 10, and aims to raise awareness and prevent all forms of violence against women. Members of the Family Violence Awareness group hosted a White Ribbon day stall in the CBD and erected cut-outs of women along the fence at Carrington Park.
Maureen Connor, health promotion worker with the Bathurst Women’s Health Centre, said the cardboard cut-outs represent the one-in- three women affected by domestic violence.
She said the statistics are shocking, even more so when you consider that one woman a week is murdered in Australia by her partner.
The effects are far more reaching then people realise. It affects people’s mental health and physical health and that’s only just the beginning.
- Maureen Connor
“And the statistics don’t seem to be going down,” she said, adding there was more work to be done.
“The first step against the problem is education,” she said, adding domestic violence is a massive problem in every community on every level.
“The effects are far more reaching then people realise. It affects people’s mental health and physical health and that’s only just the beginning.”
Ms Connor said family violence was a major issue for our community. Surveys have found that anywhere from one-quarter to one-third, and even up to one-half, of Australian women will experience physical or sexual violence by a man at some point in their lives.
Maureen Wilson, project co-ordinator of coexisting disorders with Corrective Services, said the big problem with domestic violence is cyclical nature, saying often people are born into families where domestic violence is prevalent, and go on to become perpetrators or victims themselves.
“To them it’s normal,” she said.
Ms Wilson said it was days like White Ribbon Day and programs such as 16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence Against Women which were instruments of change in the community.
She said many women felt ashamed or embarrassed to talk about domestic violence, but said that shouldn’t be the case.
“The more we do this [White Ribbon Day] and the more we talk about it, the more we reduce the stigma,” she said.
